1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to a roofing panel with an integrated photovoltaic cell, and a method of installation of the roofing panel.
2. Background of the Related Art
Solar panels on residential homes are costly, they are not aesthetically appealing, and they can create significant weatherproofing issues. The high cost is partly due to the complexity of the assembled panels and the time it takes to install the panels on an existing roof. If we factor in the cost to install the roof under the panels, the cost is even higher.
Traditional solar panel assemblies also do not blend in well with existing roofing shingles or other roofing materials, so the appearance is not acceptable. Furthermore, the installation requires fasteners to pierce through existing roofing materials and this type of installation often leads to leaks in the existing roof, costly damage and homeowners insurance issues.
Solar shingles are available but they are expensive, take a long time to install and they often do not blend in well with existing roofing materials.
Solar panels constructed with glass panels present additional problems. For example, firefighters dislike glass solar panels as the need often arises to walk on or cut through the solar panel to vent the building. Glass solar panels become slippery when wet, leading to slips and falls from the roof of the building. Cutting glass solar panels also creates the additional hazard of broken glass, not to mention the difficulty in actually cutting through the materials.
Glass, however, has become a material of choice in the solar industry because of its dimensional stability and transparency. Other construction materials, such as plastic, are not as dimensionally stable as glass. Plastics generally exhibit high thermal expansion properties, which can lead to buckling and degradation of solar panel efficiency.
Accordingly, there is a perceived need in the art for a solar panel that is lower in cost, that blends more aesthetically with existing roofing materials, and also lacks the disadvantages of glass solar panels, while also exhibiting dimensional stability.